The Hobbit: An Unexpected Trilogy

    Right now we're going to go over the starting story to one of today's most popular fantasy worlds. It's name: Middle Earth. This is a world unlike any other, consisting of elves, dwarves, orcs and goblins, and hobbits. Before J.R.R Tolkien came around, Hobbits were not in existence.  

     The basics of hobbits: Hobbits have distinct characteristics such as pointy ears and their famously large and hairy feet. Most hobbits reside in a place called the Shire. It's a beautiful green place away from the outside world. This is a good thing for the Hobbits, since they usually dread leaving the Shire. In other words, Hobbits prefer not to have any adventures or do anything unexpected. For a Hobbit named Bilbo Baggins, that's about to change. 

     Once upon a time, in a hole in the ground, there lived a Hobbit. This Hobbit's name, as I've said before, is Bilbo Baggins. When Gandalf the wizard and a group of dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield ask him to join in their adventure of winning back their home, (the Dwarf kingdom of Erebor,) from Smaug the dragon, Bilbo is in for an unexpected journey that will change his life. Will this hobbit decide to step out of his door? And if he does, will he regret it?  
   
     The Hobbit portrays what can generally happen to a person when they go out into the world for the first time. Bilbo had no idea how much he would change, even though Gandalf warned him that if he did survive the journey, he would not be the same. Throughout his journey, Bilbo witnesses things he hadn't imagined. One thing is his encounter with Gollum. Bilbo had never before seen anyone or anything like Gollum. He didn't realize it, but he when he saw Gollum he was seeing the effects of extreme corruption and addiction; a kind of which that could only come from the one Ring of Power.

        Corruption is a theme in both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. In The Hobbit, we have a poor creature poisoned by a golden ring, a greedy dragon that stole an entire kingdom only for its wealth and gold, and then men, dwarves, and elves fighting each other for those riches. In The Lord of the Rings, it's mostly the fight for power. Ever wondered why Bilbo and his nephew Frodo were more resistant to the Ring? It's because hobbits are so humble and content with a simple lifestyle of weed and drink that they are not power-hungry or corrupt. 

     A word concerning race: Both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings reflect our own human behavior of racism. The elves in Middle Earth consider themselves to be the "wisest and fairest" of all beings, although some are more humble than others. The same can be said for dwarves. The dwarves, especially Thorin, can be extremely prideful if not stubborn. This could be one reason why the dwarves and orcs are enemies: that simple yet unfortunate concept of one race thinking themselves better than another. 

      Another word concerning romance: In The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, we get our first taste of romance in The Hobbit. While fighting spiders, Bilbo and the Dwarves are captured by elves in the woodland realm of Mirkwood. Here, a dwarf in Thorin's company by the name of Kili, and a she-elf named Tauriel, start to show attraction towards each other. In a personal opinion, I feel that not enough of Kili's personality is given/shown prior to this. We can see that he is young, adventurous, and humorous, but how would someone of his specific character interact with others and especially women? If we could have previously seen whether or not Kili is a "womanizer," I think it would have been more entertaining when Kili meets and develops feelings for Tauriel. 
     I also find that Kili and Tauriel's total interaction with eachother was not enough for us see why they feel the way they do. What does Tauriel see in Kili? Your thoughts on this are welcome in the comments! (No swearing, please. :) )

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Home With Me: Home Alone

 

     In 199o, a movie came out that became one of the single most popular Christmas films of all time. What is that movie? Home Alone. Why is it so popular? We shall see: 

     Once upon a time, an 8-year old boy by the name of Kevin McCallister is accidentally left at home when his family forgets that he slept in the attic after an incident the night before. As his family head to France and then try to get back home to him, it's up to Kevin to protect his house from a couple of goofy burglars. The burglars, named Harry and Marv and call themselves the Wet Bandits, have had their eyes on Kevin's house for a while and have been waiting for the family to leave. But now that Kevin's still home, they have to get past him and his traps first. Will Kevin be able to defend his home, or was it a bad time for him to be home alone?

     Home Alone takes place in the most casual of places: An ordinary home, in an ordinary neighborhood, in an ordinary suburb of Chicago. Does this make the film more realistic? Maybe, but in a wealthy neighborhood like Kevin's, a burglary could be inevitable.What isn't inevitable is Kevin's extremely clever tactics. The film leaves you asking yourself, "What would I have done?"

     Home Alone has the particular theme of family around the holidays. When we think about it, we all know that our Christmas joys and experiences couldn't be half of what they would be when you share it with your family and friends. It doesn't take long for Kevin to realize how much his family means to him after spending so much time alone.

      Why this film is loved: As well as having some sentimental elements to it, Home Alone is a classic Christmas comedy. This is mainly manifested by Harry and Marv trying to get through Kevin's multiple booby traps that he set up all over his house. Besides that, we have Kevin's smooth attitude while being out in the world, such as being outgoing to most strangers, and his relative street smarts that make us crack up. 

  Do you agree with this? Requests all always welcome! Also be sure to like, comment, share, and follow to always come back for more Enchanted Tales of Film!

     

 

The Bell Still Rings For Me: The Polar Express

     Even though Christmas is supposed to be about celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, Santa Clause can be the first person someone thinks of when they hear Christmas. But then there comes the question of whether or not you believe in Santa. In 1985, there came a simple but wonderful children's book that tells the story of a little boy who didn't know whether to believe. That book is called The Polar Express. The book is one thing, but today we're looking at Robert Zemeckis' 2004 film adaption of The Polar Express. 

      Once upon a time on one Christmas Eve, a young boy is in bed listening for the sound of Santa's sleigh. The boy seems torn. He wants to believe, but he keeps seeing things that bring doubt upon him. Suddenly, the sound of a train fills the room. Rushing outside, he finds that there is indeed a large train waiting just outside his house. He's greeted by a conductor. When asked if he's coming, the boy can't help but ask: "Where?"
        "Why to the North Pole, of course. This is the Polar Express!" the conductor replies. 
      Overcome by curiosity, he boards the train. There he meets other children, including a girl with much Spirit, a know-it-all, and a lonely boy named Billy. Together, they travel on an adventurous journey to the North Pole where it's said that Santa will give the "First Gift of Christmas" to one of them. Will his travels with the Polar Express and his new friends help the boy believe?

     Color's an interesting thing when we're looking at a Christmas/holiday film. Naturally you have your greens and reds, but in The Polar Express, we notice a lot of blue. In a sense, blue usually alludes to cold and possible sadness. In this film however, blue seems to be a beautiful color that brings out the cold and magic of the winter time. 

     One's journey on the Polar Express has more than one purpose. In our main characters, they each learn something from each other or simply their experience all together. Santa and the conductor seem to know what the children need better than anyone, which is why the young boy, Billy and all the other children were chosen to ride the Polar Express.  

     Though our main character has doubts about Santa, the theme of The Polar Express isn't just about believing in Santa. The theme is about believing in whatever you want to believe in, even if you have doubts. According to the conductor, "Seeing is believing, but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can't see." Each of us are inclined to agree with him, including me. 
      Santa's bells are magical, and can only be heard by those who believe in him. This is a pretty good concept in the film. It's harder to feel something if you don't believe in it. That's because you won't let yourself. When the boy's parents ring the bell the young boy received, they can't hear it. It's like the sound has been blocked off by their unbelief. But the boy and his sister Sarah can hear it, but whether or not they will still be able to hear it when they're grown up is up to them. "Though I've grown old, the bell still rings for me, as it does for all who truly believe." 

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The Glitter of Commercialism: How the Grinch Stole Christmas

     When there's a Christmas story that rhymes, there's Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Today I'm talking about Ron Howard's version with the one-and-only Jim Carrey. In the early 2000's, Hollywood gave it a shot at adapting Dr. Seuss's classic stories into live action. While The Cat In The Hat didn't do so good, How The Grinch Stole Christmas became an instant Christmas classic. 

      Once upon a time, in a town called WhoVille, the Whos are getting ready for Christmas. For they like Christmas a lot. But the Grinch, who lives just North of WhoVille near the top Mount Crumpet, does not. The Grinch hates Christmas, the whole Christmas season. Meanwhile back in WhoVille, young Cindy Lou Who is having some "Yuletide doubts". She notices that everyone around her is obsessed with Christmas decorations, contests, and the buying of gifts. Will both the Grinch and Cindy find Christmas, or will the Grinch decide to try and steal it?

       The reason for the Grinch's and Cindy Lou's troubles are similar. When the Grinch was a child, he was bullied by his peers because of his appearance. When he tried to give a gift to Martha May, he's only greeted with laughter because of his face after trying to shave. The Grinch is fed up and lashes out. He decides he hates Christmas ands runs away to Mount Crumpet. Cindy Lou Who is filled with curiosity about the Grinch since everybody else seems to love Christmas so much. In conclusion, the Whos down in WhoVille don't know or have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas. 

       In WhoVille, Christmas seems to be flooded with the idea that Christmas is about the selling and buying of gifts, AKA commercialism. We especially love to buy almost all things glittery and shiny like Rudolph's red nose. Similar to our society, this leads to people forgetting what Christmas is really about. 

"Brilliant! You reject your own nose, because it represents the glitter of commercialism!"

 

 

 

 

 

          A Dr. Seuss live action adaptation calls for a cartoonish look. The main look of this are the Who's and their environment. The Whos tend to be very colorful. I can't help but notice this a bit more in the females. Betty Lou Who and Martha May Whovier dress differently but are both just as colorful. While Martha May seems to be WhoVille's glamorous sweetheart, Betty Lou dresses in a little more simply in Christmas colored clothes. Not only are the clothes unique, the hairstyles of WhoVille are also something to look at. Usually braided and/or pulled up high above their heads, that hairstyle is only seen with the girls. Boys have hair curled up in a peculiar way. That helps set apart our characters from the real world the way Dr. Seuss would.

     Do you agree with this? Feel free to request a Christmas/Holiday film to see on ETF this season! Also be sure to like, comment, share, and follow to always come back for more Enchanted Tales of Film!

The Effects of Christmas Spirit: Elf

     Another Christmas classic, Elf shows how enthusiastic someone can be about Christmas, and how someone else's Christmas spirit can help or even change another. Strangely, Elf has material that is appealing to both kids and adults, something which is difficult to achieve. How do you achieve that? Let's look:

     Once upon a time, an orphan baby comes to live with Santa and his elves when he stows away in Santa's sack. He grows up to be Buddy the Elf. But he doesn't quite fit in. He's very tall, and isn't good at making toys unlike the other elves. Buddy realizes this, so when his adopted father, (Papa Elf) tells him that his actual father is in New York, he goes there to find him. Buddy's father, by the name of Walter Hobbs, is not a cheerful man who shows more devotion to his work rather than his family. This puts Walter on the naughty list, to Buddy's horror. When Buddy finds Walter, he doesn't believe that Buddy's his son. That is until he takes Buddy to a doctor for a DNA test. Sure enough, the test show that Buddy is indeed Walter's son. Walter reluctantly takes Buddy to live with him, his wife, and his son. With the help of a cute girl he met in a store, will Buddy bring the Christmas Spirit into their lives, or he is going to want to go back to the North Pole? 

    Elf shows us the cheer and Spirit of Christmas. If there's anything Buddy taught us, it's that "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear." Christmas Spirit is especially important, since it powers Santa's sleigh. Before Buddy came, it seemed that Christmas maybe wasn't such a grand thing for Hobbs. In that case, it looks as if they kind of needed Buddy. Perhaps everybody should have someone like that in their lives.  

    When you watch the film, you notice that The North Pole in Elf has a similar design to that of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Especially the elves' clothing and a few characters like Leon the Snowman. You can compare Leon and the snowman from Rudolph to be very, if not extremely, similar. Why is this? Leave your opinion in the comments!

      



A word concerning maturity: When Buddy arrives in New York, a lot of his behavior is like that of a child. Yes, a lot of things in New York are different from the North Pole, but Buddy doesn't exactly act grown up about it. Do elves have a different lifespan? If so, is 30 years a different age to an elf? After all, in the beginning of film, Buddy is seen in a classroom with supposed elf children that look younger than him. 

        Do you agree with this? Feel free to request a Christmas/holiday film to see this season on ETF! Also be sure to like, comment, share, and follow to always come back for more Enchanted Tales of Film!